Black History Month: Reconstruction ... It Was Just The Start

My grandmother taught school for over 40 years, many of them at a high school that at one time, was the only one available for African-American children in the St. Louis area to attend. She taught me a lot of Black History, but much of it didn't start to register until Dr. King's death in 1968. I was a typical, self-absorbed teenager until the events caused by his tragic demise. It was at that point I finally understood the importance of history ... past and present.

History Is Continuous ...

Every day is a new chapter. One of the things my grandmother used to tell me about was Reconstruction -- the intentions, good, bad, and how it's continually reapplied. The lesson learned: The reasons for Reconstruction were about wealth, power and ways to keep the populace at odds with each other. Sound familiar?

Reconstruction ...

For all intents and purposes, slavery died with the end of the Civil War. However, it did not end the resentment or bitterness of many in the South and North. Slavery had provided an economic windfall for many Southerners, directly and indirectly. Imagine being able to run a business and never having to pay a wage.

Although the institution of slavery ended, many of the beliefs continued, such as preventing Blacks from changing jobs, making better wages, and restricting property ownership.

Following the war, three Constitutional Amendments gave birth to new rights for African- Americans.

• 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery in all states and territories.
• 14th Amendment prohibited states from depriving any male citizen of equal protection under the law regardless of race.
• 15th Amendment granted former slaves/African-Americans the right to vote.

Good News And Bad News ...

Those three Amendments were the good news; the bad news was former slave owners came up with what were called The Black Codes. Mississippi and South Carolina were the first states to enact these codes, which required African-Americans to have written evidence of employment each January for the coming year. If anyone left before the end of the contract, they would be forced to forfeit wages already earned and be subject to arrest. Some Southern states tacked on additional penalties; South Carolina added an additional law prohibiting African-Americans from holding any job other than as a farmer or servant, unless an annual tax of anywhere from $10 to $100 was paid.

Free But Restricted ...

To keep neighboring Southerners from a bidding war for the best workers, the Black Code law called Anti-Enticement were designed to punish anyone offering higher wages to African-Americans who were already working for someone paying low wages. If anyone broke or even publicly entertained thoughts about breaking the state-enforced Black Code labor contracts, they were subject under the law to arrest, beatings, and forced labor. Did I mention the apprenticeship laws forcing minors to become unpaid labor for white farmers? It was all legal and enforced by all-white police and state militia, which usually consisted of Civil War Confederate veterans.

To sugarcoat things, there were provisions within the Codes to give the appearance of caring; including the right to buy and own property, marry, make contracts, and testify in court. A lot of it sounded great, but there were restrictions like what types of property former slaves could own and you could only testify in court if it involved other African-Americans.

Political Gain and Education ...

During Reconstruction, former slaves became elected officials at local, state, and the federal level. It has been estimated somewhere between 600 and 1,000 former slaves held office, including two in the U.S Senate and 20 in the House of Representatives. Among the Black Codes and intimidation tactics, there were some measures that did some good, like the first public taxed school systems in the South that gave African-Americans and poor whites a chance for education. However, in 1877, the last of the Northern Federal troops were withdrawn from the South; and so ended Reconstruction, all the African-American political gains reverted to the way it was before the Civil War.

Consequences ...

I mentioned intimidation of former slaves and the savage behavior by Southern and Northern whites at the end of slavery. In his book, "Sick From Freedom," historian Jim Downs surmised, "The reality of emancipation during the chaos of war and its bloody aftermath often fell brutally short of that positive image. Instead, freed slaves were often neglected by Union soldiers or faced rampant disease, including horrific outbreaks of smallpox and cholera. Many of them simply starved to death."

Past Behavior Can Indicate Future Behavior ...

The reversal of portions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, new state voter ID laws, attempts to roll back health privileges for women, and keeping the minimum wage far below the current cost of living ... sounds like an attempt to hold African-Americans, minorities, immigrants, and the poor at a stalemate. Like many, I believe the intended purpose is to slow down the progress of a population headed for a minority majority by the 2040s. Let's learn from the Black history of our past to keep oppressor strategies from winning the control game over the masses.

Focus ...

The key, keeping our focus on the actual issues and not the rhetoric created to distract and redirect. The game isn't rigged; it's about learning from tactics meant to harm, reshaping what can be controlled, and understanding that compromise is a two-way street ...and not a "say uncle" thing.

Black History Month rolls on with more next week ...